Coun. Shawn Menard says he regrets questioning the appointment and personal beliefs of a citizen transit commissioner in public this week, but he wouldn’t back down after the head of the transit commission demanded an apology.

Council on Wednesday appointed Michael Olsen to the transit commission in a vote that saw seven councillors oppose his selection.

Menard first broached the subject at the council meeting, referring to Olsen’s “significant advocacy on behalf of pro-life groups,” before the city’s top lawyer said religion and expression are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and shouldn’t be something involved in selecting a transit commissioner.

The discussion then turned to Olsen’s alleged views on climate change, which some councillors have assumed based on a complaint filed by Olsen against the Citizen regarding a climate change article published in 2017. The National NewsMedia Council, in a decision posted online, dismissed the complaint in 2018.

He couldn’t be reached after the council vote on Wednesday or on Thursday.

Coun. Allan Hubley, the transit chair, was still annoyed on Thursday about Menard’s line of questioning about Olsen’s personal beliefs during an open meeting.

People with particular religious convictions could fear their beliefs “can be held against them if they’re looking for a job at the city or some role in municipal government,” Hubley said in an interview.

“That’s a scary thing and I don’t think we can leave that out there. I really hope Coun. Menard rethinks his allegations against this person or comes out with some serious evidence of him being a climate change denier.”

In another interview, Menard said he didn’t want the issue raised in public at the council meeting. He said he wanted to refer one candidate’s name back to the selection panel, but it wasn’t until Mayor Jim Watson asked him to identify the candidate and the concern that Menard said he had to talk about Olsen.

“I don’t apologize for raising social issues that I think transit does overlap,” Menard said, adding that he believes transit is a “gender issue.”

Menard then turned the tables on Hubley, calling out the transit chair for demanding an apology through the media.

“If somebody is asking you to apologize, at least come and talk to the person in-person,” Menard said. “Doing it through the media is not helpful.”

Responded Hubley: “We went to see him this morning. He wasn’t in his office.”

Hubley said he was disturbed that some councillors appeared to have been using Olsen’s complaint against the Citizen as evidence of his views on climate change. He said he didn’t see evidence that Olsen denies climate change.

“What he asked for is some facts so he could form his own opinion on that article,” Hubley said of Olsen. “I challenge anybody to tell me where they see he’s a climate change denier, yet here we have a councillor and six or seven other councillors who all said they were voting against his nomination based on (Menard) saying he’s a climate change denier with no evidence.”

According to Menard, the “main piece of evidence” is Olsen’s news council complaint about the Citizen article.

“We need to do a better job on our selection committees of looking at backgrounds of folks, particularly around the climate piece,” Menard said.

“We’ve got that as a stated goal that we’re trying to reduce our emissions and when there’s concerns with somebody that may not agree with those things, I think that could affect the decision-making on things like electrification of vehicles.”

One curious move at the council meeting was by Coun. Jean Cloutier, who voted with Menard and five other councillors in asking council to send back Olsen’s proposed appointment to the selection panel.

Cloutier was one of five people — four councillors and one staffer from the mayor’s office — on the selection panel.

On Thursday, Cloutier said “new information” about Olsen’s alleged views on climate change, specifically a tweet by Ecology Ottawa, made him support sending Olsen’s nomination back to the selection panel for reconsideration.

Councillors Riley Brockington, Diane Deans, Mathieu Fleury, Jeff Leiper, Catherine McKenney, Theresa Kavanagh and Menard voted against Olsen’s appointment, but not all of them spoke during the debate.

Deans asked the clerk if a councillor can ask questions of candidates through a “gender lens” and if a candidate’s views on climate change are protected by the Charter. Kavanagh asked if the hiring panel looked at candidates’ suitability through a gender lens.

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